1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to spools. More specifically, the present invention relates to spools mounted on spinning-reel spool shafts that are axially movably installed in the reel bodies of spinning reels.
2. Background Information
The spool in front-drag model spinning reels having built-in drag mechanisms is linked to the fore end of the spool shaft via the drag mechanism. This type of spool has a bobbin trunk portion, front/rear flange portions formed flaring at either end of the bobbin trunk portion, and a tubular skirt portion formed integrally with the rear flange portion. The drag mechanism includes a drag handling unit, and a friction unit that is pressed upon by the drag handling unit and is arranged within a drag-housing compartment formed in the interior of the bobbin trunk portion. The friction unit includes a first friction disk that is non-rotatable with respect to the spool shaft, and a second friction disk that is non-rotatable with respect to the spool.
Large-model spinning reels with a compact spool in which the bobbin trunk is formed small so that spooling capacity for thick, high-test fishing line may be secured are known. Because the diameter of the bobbin trunk is relatively small in this sort of spinning reel, securing drag-housing compartment in the bobbin trunk interior through which sufficient drag force corresponding to thick fishing line can be gained is difficult.
In this respect, a spool in which the drag-mechanism friction unit is disposed not in the bobbin trunk, but in the rear of the spool (specifically, within the skirt) is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Post-Grant Gazette Pub. No. H06-16512. The spinning reel disclosed in the aforementioned gazette is formed with a cylindrical drag housing that projects rearward on the rear face of the rear flange portion; and a friction unit having first and second disks is housed in the drag housing interior. The friction unit is arranged in a state in which its movement rearward is restricted, where it can come into contact with the rear face of the rear flange. A drag-handling unit for pressing the friction unit is screwed onto the fore end of the spool shaft. A retaining means for locking the friction unit in place is fastened with locking screws to the rear face of the drag housing. The retaining means is mounted covering the rear of the friction unit.
Since the friction unit in a thus-configured conventional spool is locked in place by the retaining means, when the spool is undone from the spool shaft, the friction unit as such comes apart from the spool shaft along with the spool.
Conventionally, the bobbin trunk and rear-flange portions of the spool body are often formed integrally with the skirt portion. In this respect, metal highly resistant to corrosion must be used for the bobbin trunk portion and the rear flange, because they are constantly in contact with the fishing line. Consequently, on account of being formed integrally with the bobbin trunk portion, conventionally with aluminum alloys too, those that are of comparatively high corrosion resistance, or those that have been surface-treated for high corrosion resistance are used.
Issues Invention is to Solve
Since the friction unit is covered by the retaining means in the foregoing conventional configuration, foreign matter such as dust and grit is not apt to invade into the drag disks. Nevertheless, because a gap is left in between the skirt portion of the spool and the rotor, liquid is liable to seep in through the gap in the course of washing the reel with liquids. Should liquid seep in through the gap between the skirt and the rotor, the liquid is liable to seep into the interior of the drag mechanism, through the gap between the retaining member and the spool shaft, and the gap between the retaining member and the drag housing, wetting the disks within the friction unit and fluctuating the drag force.
Also since the bobbin trunk portion and the rear flange portion must be corrosion resistant, in the foregoing conventional configuration, lightweight alloys having high resistance to corrosion (e.g., aluminum alloys), or alloys that have been subjected to a surface treatment to heighten the corrosion resistance are used. Alloys whose corrosion resistance is high tend to have dull, whitish hues compared with those whose corrosion resistance is low, which makes it difficult by comparison with those whose corrosion resistance is low to obtain a metallic luster having a classic feel.
On the other hand, the skirt portion is a component covering the round-cylinder portion of the rotor so that fishing line will not coil onto it. Consequently, the skirt portion requires less corrosion resistance than the bobbin trunk and rear-flange portions, which are constantly in contact with fishing line to which saltwater has clung. Moreover, because the skirt portion is always exposed, the skirt portion is the most conspicuous among the components of the spool, and is the part on which adornment may be presented to lend a classic feel to the reel overall.
Nevertheless, in the foregoing conventional configuration, the skirt portion and the bobbin trunk and rear-flange portions are formed integrally as a member that has high resistance to corrosion or has been surface-treated to effect high corrosion resistance. Accordingly, the corrosion resistance of the fishing-line contact areas can be maintained. However, the skirt portion can only have dull hues, which is a problem in that improving the decorativeness of the skirt portion is difficult.
Furthermore, when the spool is retreated in the foregoing conventional configuration, the drag-mechanism friction unit is situated in the interior of the skirt portion where the round-cylinder portion of the rotor is adjacent, whereby the dimension of the friction unit in the spool-axial direction is restricted. The number of disks in the friction unit is therefore restricted, and gaining sufficient drag force is difficult, even if the disks are made large in diameter.
In view of the above, there exists a need for spool which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
An object of the present invention is to control fluctuations in drag force due to liquids seeping into the drag mechanism in a spool on the rear of which a drag mechanism is disposed.
Another object of the present invention is to improve decorativeness of the skirt portion, while maintaining the corrosion resistance of the areas that contact fishing line, in a spool on the rear of which a drag mechanism is disposed.
Still another object of the present invention is to make it easier to gain sufficient drag force in a spool on the rear of which a drag mechanism is disposed.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the first aspect of the present invention is mounted on a spool shaft installed reciprocatingly in the reel body of the spinning-reel, and is furnished with: a spool body, a drag mechanism, a cover member, a first sealing means, and a second sealing means. The spool body has a tubular bobbin-trunk portion mounted rotatably on the spool shaft, and front and rear flange portions diametrically larger than the bobbin trunk portion and provided respectively on the front and rear of the bobbin trunk portion. The drag mechanism has: a drag-handling unit that screws onto fore end of the spool shaft to press the bobbin trunk portion, and a first friction unit disposed in a state enabling it to contact the rear face of the rear flange portion, and meanwhile restricting its movement rearward on the spool shaft. The cover member is a component installed non-rotatably on the spool body, to cover the first friction unit over its rear. The first sealing means is a means that is fitted in between the cover member and the spool body, and that seals a gap between the two. The second sealing means is a means that is fitted in between the spool shaft and the cover member, and that seals a gap between the two.
When the drag-handling unit in this spinning reel is turned, the first friction unit is pressed upon via the bobbin trunk portion. Because movement of the first friction unit rearward is restricted, when the bobbin trunk portion is pressed the pressure-contact force between the first friction unit and the bobbin trunk portion changes, varying the drag force. The first friction unit is covered over its rear by the cover member. Further, the gap between the cover member and the spool body is closed off by the first sealing means, and the gap between the cover member and the spool shaft is closed off by the second sealing means. Herein, the fact that the first friction unit is covered over its rear with the cover member, and that the gaps between the cover member, and the spool body and the spool shaft are sealed by sealing components, means that even if liquids seep through the gap between the spool and the rotor, the liquids are not likely to seep into the drag mechanism. Therefore, the first friction unit is not liable to become wet, which controls fluctuations in drag force.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the second aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the first aspect, wherein the spool body has a tubular skirt portion extending toward the rear from the rear flange on its outer periphery.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the third aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the second aspect, wherein a tip of a cylindrical portion of a rotor by which fishing line is wrapped around said bobbin trunk portion is positionable in between said skirt portion and said cover member outer peripherally. In this case, the tip of the rotor cylindrical portion is positionable in between the skirt portion and the outer periphery of the cover member. Therefore, though the drag mechanism is disposed on the rear part of the spool, the cover member does not collide with the fore end of the rotor cylindrical portion when the spool is drawn into its recede end. A compact reel may therefore be realized without, as far as the back-and-forth movement of the spool is concerned, having to take into consideration the dimension of the drag mechanism in the spool-axial direction.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the fourth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the first through third aspects, further including a support mounted non-rotatably, axially immovably on the spool shaft, and rotatably supporting the bobbin trunk portion via a bearing; wherein the second sealing means is fitted to the support, and seals a gap between the support and the cover member. The fact in this instance that a support is provided on the spool shaft, and the second sealing means seals the gap between the support and the cover member, means that because the gap between the support and the cover member is made smaller, it is easier to seal the gap with the second sealing means.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the fifth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the first through fourth aspects, wherein the second sealing means is a rimmed sealing member having a lip whose distal edge, contacting on the cover member, is pointed. In this case, since sealing is by the pointed-lip contact, rotational resistance is made smaller.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the sixth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the first through fifth aspects, wherein: a tubular drag-housing portion is formed on the rear face of the rear flange portion, projecting rearward for housing the first friction unit; the cover member screws onto the outer circumferential surface of the drag-housing portion; and the first sealing means is an O-ring fitted in between the outer circumferential surface and the cover member. The fact in this instance that the cover member is fastened by screwing it onto the outer circumferential surface of the drag-housing portion makes using threaded holes and bolts unnecessary, simplifying the fastening structure for the cover member. Likewise, since sealing is done with the O-ring, the sealing structure is also simplified.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the seventh aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the first through sixth aspects, further including a third sealing means at the front face of the spool body, sealing a gap between the bobbin trunk portion and the spool shaft. In this case, since liquids are prevented from seeping in through the front face of the spool, the first friction is even less prone to becoming wet, which lessens fluctuations in the drag force even further.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the eighth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the first through seventh aspects, further including a sounding mechanism installed on the cover member and issuing sound during operation of the drag mechanism. In this case, a sounding mechanism is furnished on a cover member that is the right thinness to vibrate relatively easily, and therefore a lucid sound is readily emitted when the drag is in operation.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the ninth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the first through eighth aspects, wherein the first friction unit has one or a plurality of first disks non-rotatable with respect to the spool shaft, and one or a plurality of second disks non-rotatable with respect to the spool body and disposed alternately with the first disks. Drag force matching an application may in this case be set at will by means of the number of first and second disks arranged in alternation.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the tenth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the seventh through ninth aspects, wherein a tubular drag-housing compartment is formed inside the bobbin trunk portion; and the drag mechanism includes a second friction unit pressed on by said drag-handling unit and housed in the drag-housing compartment in a state in which its movement axially is restricted. In this case, because a second friction unit is arranged inside the bobbin trunk portion, in addition to the first friction unit disposed on the rear part of the spool, still larger drag force may be gained.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the eleventh aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the tenth aspect, further including a second support unit, disposed in between the second friction unit and the drag-handling unit letting it shift axially on the spool shaft, and rotatably supporting the bobbin trunk portion via a bearing. In this case, supporting the bobbin trunk portion with two supports arranged spaced apart at an interval in sandwiching the second friction unit separates the spool supports at a sufficient interval, making the spool less likely to tilt, which makes shudder during drag operation unlikely to occur.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the twelfth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the eleventh aspect, wherein the third sealing means has a third sealing member fitted in between the second support unit and the drag-handling unit and sealing a gap between the two, and a fourth sealing unit fitted in between the second support unit and the bobbin trunk portion and sealing a gap between the two. In this case, liquids are prevented from seeping into the spool body interior even with the spool supported by the second support unit, which prevents drag fluctuation.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the thirteenth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the second aspect, wherein said skirt portion includes at least partially a tubular portion formed unitarily with said cover member.
At least a part of the skirt portion to this spinning-reel spool is a tubular portion formed integrally with the cover member. The cover member is for covering the first friction unit; and compared to the bobbin trunk and rear-flange portions, the frequency with which it is in contact with fishing line is slight, and therefore is under circumstances in which from a corrosion resistance aspect the restrictions are somewhat loose. Herein, since the cover member and the tubular part of the skirt portionxe2x80x94the restrictions on which are, from a corrosion resistance aspect, loosexe2x80x94are formed integrally, the material qualities of the tubular part of the skirt portion may be determined laying stress on decorativeness more than corrosion resistance. By the same token, the material qualities of and surface treatment for the spool body except for the tubular part of the skirt portion may be determined giving priority to corrosion resistance. This enables corrosion resistance to be maintained in the areas in contact with fishing line, and decorativeness of the skirt portion to be improved.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the fourteenth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the thirteenth aspect, wherein the skirt portion has a first section formed integrally with the rear flange portion and extending rearward from the outer periphery of the rear flange portion, and a second section, as the tubular portion, formed integrally with the cover member and extending rearward from the first section; and the cover member is fixed to the spool body by screwing together with the first section on its inner circumferential surface. In this case, affixing the cover member to the spool body by screwing it into the inner peripheral area of the first section enables the attachment diameter of the cover member to be made large, which lets the cover member be affixed with a high tightening torque.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the fifteenth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, wherein the spool body is a highly corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy, or an aluminum alloy subjected to a high-corrosion-resistance surface treatment. In this case, the highly corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy, or aluminum alloy subjected to a high-corrosion-resistance surface treatment enables sustaining the spool body""s corrosion resistance.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the sixteenth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by any of the tenth through fifteenth aspects, wherein said second friction unit is pressed on by said drag-handling unit and housed in said drag-housing compartment in a state restricting its movement axially, and has a plurality of third disks non-rotatable with respect to the spool shaft and a plurality of fourth disks arranged alternately with said third disks and non-rotatable with respect to the spool body.
A first friction unit having a plurality of first disks and second disks, contacting on the rear face of the spool-body rear flange, is arranged in this spinning-reel spool, and in the drag-housing compartment within the bobbin trunk portion, a second friction unit having a plurality of third disks and fourth disks is arranged. In this respect, because a plurality of disks is furnished respectively in two friction units, the number of disks in each friction unit may be made many. Therefore, even if the number of disks in the first friction unit is restricted, by means of the second friction unit sufficient drag force is made easy to gain.
A spinning-reel spool having to do with the seventeenth aspect of the invention is the spool set forth by the sixteenth aspect, further including drag disks fitted in between the first disks and second disks, as well as the third disks and fourth disks. In this case, because drag disks are interposed in between reciprocally rotating pairs of disks, the spool turns smoothly while the drag is working, and drag shudder is reduced.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention.